After reporting record sales in China for 2014, BMW along with their “Big 3” counterparts (Audi & Mercedes-Benz) are bracing for a slowdown in sales due to overall economic cooling as well as stricter new car quotas put in place to curtail pollution. With consumers gravitating towards “fresher” brands like Land Rover, BMW must work harder than ever in their digital and offline marketing efforts to make an impact with new model launches in an increasingly crowded market.

Campaign Highlights

To debut the new model X1 in 2014, BMW launched the Live Free For Action campaign – introducing the car to Chinese consumers through a combination of digital initiatives and live campaign events.

BMW launches campaign microsite around inspirational messaging.

The brand used social media to inspire consumers through a lifestyle message that leveraged independent travel trends (road trips) to drive traffic to brand experience events where they could see the vehicle and interact with sales staff in person.

What You’ll Learn

The BMW Live Free For Action campaign report will show you how the brand uses digital and social channels to support the launch of a new model in China – including customizing social media channels, integrating with offline campaign activities, partnering with KOLs to reach relevant audiences, and launching campaign microsites to promote social sharing.

Campaign Microsite: BMW created a microsite for the X1 launch that inspired social sharing while introducing consumers to new vehicle attributes.

Weibo: BMW used Sina Weibo as the social hub for the campaign, using KOLs to build buzz and drive fans to campaign activities.